Blair's 10 Habits that Lead to Success

Ever wonder why I wake up early and exercise? Because it's key to my success. It gets my head in the right place, clears out my mind and allows me to FOCUS. Work on each of these key areas and become more effective, do more with your time, make more money, grow as an individual and as a part of any group you associate with personally and professionally. I'm a self made entrepreneur. There is nothing that sets me apart from you or anyone else besides the fact that I work more effectively with the same hours we are all given each day. Start your same path to your greatest potential by implementing the items below in your life. Do it and see and feel the difference. I guarantee it!

1. Exercise.

Taking care of your body and mind by relaxing, exercising, healthy eating and getting enough sleep are all ways to improve your chances of success. I also believe that prayer, daily devotionals and/or affirmations as well as exercise each morning can be just as important. Do what works for you, but say goodbye to sugar and unhealthy fats in your diet, choose to exercise and you will work and sleep better. We all make choices nearly every minute of every day. Make the right ones. You know what they are.

2. I wake up early.

President Obama, Richard Branson, Jack Dorsey, Larry Schultz, Tim Cook and Xerox CEO Ursula Burns are known to be early risers. This directly attributes to their success because early risers are able to start their days ahead of everyone else. By responding to others, exercising and finding some personal time, early risers also tend to be happier and are more proactive. IT WORKS. If you stay up late, you're making an active decision to work against your own success. Switch it up and you will see you will be more productive in every minute of the day.

3. Don't complain or criticize.

If you work in my office, you may have wondered at one time or another... why one of the primary rules is *NO COMPLAINTS?* Successful people realize that spending time complaining or criticizing is wasted. In fact, when you choose not to complain or otherwise dwell on negative thoughts and energy, it can lead you to performing better at work and increases the chance of excelling within your career and life. Focusing on what's working, refining that and finding ways to improve key areas of weakness/improvement. Successful people rarely complain or criticize. They are sincere and try to be empathetic. Instead of complaining about others and their shortcomings, find ways that you can become better and also reach out to try and help them as well. This promotes positive energy within yourself and the overall group dynamic. If you find yourself thinking negative thoughts, complaining, sighing, feeling overwhelmed or overworked, change it up with thoughts of thankfulness for the opportunities you have to work, help others and forge a successful path for yourself in life. This is LIFE CHANGING. DO IT.

4. Stay busy.

Successful people are rarely idle. Many high achievers are known to work 60-65 hours per work. Elon Musk works a whooping 80-100 hours per week and has said, “That's the type of work ethic an entrepreneur needs to have.” If you want to be your absolute best, then give your absolute best and WORK, WORK, WORK, but do it efficiently in ways I teach like time blocking.

5. Know when to say "no."

“The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.” - Warren Buffett

Successful people realize that by saying "no" to negativity, extra work and activities that waste time like gossiping, lunches out and internet surfing, they can focus on increasing their productivity. If they say "yes" to everyone or everything, they’ll be too distracted and will not accomplish tasks that have to be done.

6. Don’t watch TV, read instead.

Read for self-improvement for 30 minutes or more per day.

7. Write to-do lists.

Successful people are known for writing their to-do-lists the night before so that they are able to set priorities for the following day. They number their lists as well to identify which tasks are the most important.

8. Set goals and visualize.

A majority of successful entrepreneurs practice writing down their goals, plans, or visions for success on a regular basis. Successful people do this the night before so that they are prepared to tackle the challenges that await them. If you don't achieve a goal within a certain time frame, re-measure it. It's not the end of the world, it's simply an opportunity to regroup. Don't allow the fear of failure to hold you back. We are all our own worst enemy because we will allow fear and insecurity to hold us back. If you do this, you will never reach your full potential.

9. Manage money wisely.

Successful people have gotten where they are because they were able to manage their finances well. Believe it or not, it's easier to make the money than manage it. Ever watch one of those "Where Are They Now: Lottery Winners" type of shows? Exactly ;) It's easy for them to come into the money through those means, but much more challenging to manage it. High achievers invest their money wisely, look for new opportunities and set aside emergency funds. They are more generous and willing to donate to those who need help. In addition, many successful people have found improvement in their personal relationships with enough savings in the bank for a year of expenses. Finances are the number 1 reason for personal relationships ending.

10. Be Accountable

To yourself and others. Reflect, learn and grow on each experience you have. It's one of my favorite things to say when training others. We will all make mistakes in our journeys, but the key to advancement is to reflect on those mistakes or missteps, learn and grow from them so that you continually become stronger, more talented and capable.

There is an old saying that luck and preparation always meet opportunity. The most successful people set themselves up for success by preparing all the time. Implement these items above as you are able and let me know how they work for you.